Sanchez Throws Bullpen Session, Still Months Away

[JJ]

For one afternoon, Anibal Sanchez was back throwing at Dolphin Stadium. But the 24-year-old right-hander remains months away from being big league ready.

Recovering from shoulder surgery that was performed last summer, Sanchez has been on the disabled list all season.

Before the Marlins went through fielding and batting practice on Friday, Sanchez threw a bullpen session under the watch of pitching coach Mark Wiley and manager Fredi Gonzalez. Throwing all fastballs, the Venezuelan native rolled up 60 pitches.

"My arm feels good. My body feels tired," he said. "It's the first time I've thrown a bullpen like that."

Friday was the fifth bullpen that Sanchez has thrown since being on the DL. And the earliest he projects that he may be ready to join the Marlins would be the All-Star break. Even that is not etched in stone.

"It's [too] far away to put a date on it," Gonzalez said. "We haven't even put a date on it."

Sanchez is throwing bullpens every Tuesday and Friday, but normally at the team's Minor League/Spring Training complex in Jupiter, Fla. He expects to start facing batters in about a month.

When Sanchez is ready for game action, he will get some rehab starts in the Minor Leagues. The best-case scenario for that is June.

If the Marlins can get Sanchez back for the second half, he could be a big addition. As a rookie in 2006, he went 10-3 with a 2.83 ERA. His most memorable big league moment was tossing a no-hitter against Arizona on Sept. 6.

A year ago, he appeared in six games and was 2-1 with a 4.80 ERA. He experienced shoulder problems early in 2007, and had his surgery in June.

"It's not frustrating. It's part of baseball. It's not only me," Sanchez said. "There are too many pitchers that this is happening to. I have to do my job in getting ready to come back."

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